# Who is the single greatest Saturday Night Live cast member? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 17, 2020, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-single-greatest-saturday-night-live-cast-member/915546 "2020-07-17T03:55:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2020, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-single-greatest-saturday-night-live-cast-member/915546/1 "2020-07-17T03:55:39Z")
The NBC late night series, not \* _[Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell_\*, and I do mean single greatest, no teams, and just pick _ **one** _. I think I would pick Kevin Nealon. Great utility player, never hammed it in a skit or broke character, his was a friendly “funny” that was never forced, and he was there for quite a while. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2020, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-single-greatest-saturday-night-live-cast-member/915546/2 "2020-07-17T04:12:35Z")
Interesting. I always thought Kevin Nealon, both on SNL and after, was the most unfunny “comedian” I’d ever seen. For my money, I go with Will Ferrell. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2020, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-single-greatest-saturday-night-live-cast-member/915546/3 "2020-07-17T04:19:38Z")
For this old fart it’s still John Belushi. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2020, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-single-greatest-saturday-night-live-cast-member/915546/4 "2020-07-17T04:20:46Z")
Gilda Radner. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2020, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-single-greatest-saturday-night-live-cast-member/915546/5 "2020-07-17T04:25:10Z")
Eddie Murphy. Lots of ups and downs, but funniest body of work. Most appreciated? I love Kate McKinnon, and Phil Hartman was great too. As were Norm McDonald, Bill Murray, Gilda…and many others. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2020, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-single-greatest-saturday-night-live-cast-member/915546/6 "2020-07-17T04:32:35Z")
Another old fart, who watched the original Not Ready For Prime Time Players. Gilda beats out John Belushi, by a nose, in my book. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2020, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-single-greatest-saturday-night-live-cast-member/915546/7 "2020-07-17T05:43:01Z")
I’ve been watching since the first cast. There are so many great candidates, but I’m favoring recent season members of late. I’m gonna go with Bill Hader. Love his characters and his impersonations. [Stefon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rj-wYWMdWNk), his [Vincent Price](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hniHaVBRWbY&feature=youtu.be&t=18), [and so](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xZ52mG1yIo) [many](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lO9Fk2mjhbw) [more.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6ee5W-9pDk) Going with old-school, I’d pick [Dan](https://youtu.be/veMiNQifZcM) [Aykroyd.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSxv6IGBgFQ) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2020, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-single-greatest-saturday-night-live-cast-member/915546/8 "2020-07-17T08:35:46Z")
If this is limited to performance on the show then I say Dan Aykroyd. If their post SNL career counts then it’s hard to compete with Adam Sandler. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2020, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-single-greatest-saturday-night-live-cast-member/915546/9 "2020-07-17T09:44:35Z")
Joe Piscopo. (Kidding! Seriously, can you imagine? Sorry, Joe.) Jeez, that’s a toughy as there have been a lot of stellar performers over the decades. Radner, Belushi, Hartmann, Murphy, McKinnon … I guess I’d go with Eddie Murphy but not by a huge margin. I’ve enjoyed Hader in other things but missed his years on SNL so can’t opine. I’m also a big Tim Meadows fan - a lot of solid work but maybe not on the highest tier by comparison. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2020, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-single-greatest-saturday-night-live-cast-member/915546/10 "2020-07-17T11:13:11Z")
Jane Curtin. Always good on the show, and a two-time Emmy winner. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2020, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-single-greatest-saturday-night-live-cast-member/915546/11 "2020-07-17T11:26:22Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > If this is limited to performance on the show then I say Dan Aykroyd. I thought of Aykroyd first because of what he’s done in addition to SNL; The Blues Brothers, Ghostbusters[/i], My Girl, and an Academy Award nomination for Driving Miss Daisy. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2020, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-single-greatest-saturday-night-live-cast-member/915546/12 "2020-07-17T12:12:39Z")
I’ll go with **Robert Downey, Jr.** but not for work he’s done with SNL. In fact, you’ve probably forgotten that he was an SNL cast member for one season, haven’t you? ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2020, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-single-greatest-saturday-night-live-cast-member/915546/13 "2020-07-17T12:29:17Z")
If we are doing that, then the the answer is **Julia Louis-Dreyfus** ---
**Author:** ![SwissMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@SwissMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwissMan)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2020, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-single-greatest-saturday-night-live-cast-member/915546/14 "2020-07-17T13:04:13Z")
Phil Hartman; they didn’t call him “the glue” for nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2020, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-single-greatest-saturday-night-live-cast-member/915546/15 "2020-07-17T13:08:19Z")
Phil Hartman is my choice too ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2020, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-single-greatest-saturday-night-live-cast-member/915546/16 "2020-07-17T13:19:13Z")
Probably Kevin Nealon, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![DaveRaver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daveraver/32/1078_2.png) [@DaveRaver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveRaver)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2020, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-single-greatest-saturday-night-live-cast-member/915546/17 "2020-07-17T13:30:28Z")
Dana Carvey. So many great characters! ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2020, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-single-greatest-saturday-night-live-cast-member/915546/18 "2020-07-17T13:59:28Z")
He’s get my vote also. He had tons of original characters: Church Lady, half of Hans & Franz, half of Wayne & Garth, Massive Head Wound Harry, Grumpy Old Man. As well as tons of impressions: Johnny Carson, George Bush, Ross Perot, Tom Brokaw, James Stewart ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2020, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-single-greatest-saturday-night-live-cast-member/915546/19 "2020-07-17T14:04:53Z")
Chris Farley ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2020, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-single-greatest-saturday-night-live-cast-member/915546/20 "2020-07-17T14:10:19Z")
I would like to keep this to work done on SNL only. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-single-greatest-saturday-night-live-cast-member/915546.md?page=2)